Emma continued to stare at Rumple, silently begging him for an answer. A million thoughts were running through her head, all conflicting her. The first thoughts were of another baby, perhaps one that looked more like Regina with dark hair and full lips. She'd be sassy and adorable and Lennie would love being a big sister. The excitement was starting to build before it plummeted.

The next thoughts were of Regina hating her for getting her pregnant at the worse time possible. Despite usually baby making taking two, this time, it would be her fault. Had she then been the reason that they had Lennie? Had she wished that Regina impregnated her on that night?

"Emma," Rumple said gently, pulling the worried blonde out of her frantic inner thoughts. "The honest answer is I don't know. You clearly do have wish magic if things like that are happening. As for did the wish magic happen when there no magic here? I can't tell you. Normal magic didn't work unless there was a lot of power, but this is you we're talking about. I've trained many people in the art of magic, and none have been as powerful as you. In addition to that, I don't know everything about wish magic, I'm just learning on the job. The only way we can find out for sure is by asking Alice, but we have to ask her when she's Alice again and not Tilly."

"Okay," Emma replied and swallowed. "Regina is going to kill me."

Rumple reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "She won't. Why would she? She loves you and loves children. She's always wanted more."

Emma sighed. "Now really isn't the time for a pregnancy, let alone Regina. I have no idea how she's going to take it if she is."

"There's only one way to find out," Rumple said softly. "But for now, let's get out of here and head home. I have some apologising to do."

"Let's go."

The two then made they way to the door, Emma was impressed that Rumple didn't glance back to the photo of Belle on his desk. Rumple reset the alarm on the door before they walked back through the main office.

When they walked past Rogers, he still had the glazed look in his eyes and vacant expression on his face. He just bid them goodbye and waved them off.

Once they were outside, Rumple turned to Emma. "You confunded him?"

Emma chuckled. "Perhaps. I needed to find you and he was in my way." She shrugged. "I least I didn't knock him out or anything."

Rumple simply rolled his eyes as he led the blonde to his car. "Get in."

At first, they drove in silence and Emma realised she missed the feel of being behind the wheel.

"Do you think we'll be here long enough to need a car?" She asked.

Rumple considered the question for a moment. "The new optimist in me says no. We shouldn't be here much longer if we keep progressing but then the Dark Ones in me say that you should consider getting one because really, we're nowhere near breaking this curse."

"Wow, aren't you chipper?" Emma commented but she laughed to show she was joking. "How about I go without so we can keep thinking that we're close to breaking the curse?"

"You can always take mine if you need one," Rumple offered.

"Really?" Emma asked, her eyes wide at the gesture.

"Emma, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I'd like to think that we could be considered family by now," Rumple sighed as he pulled up in front of her apartment block. "Besides, when you and Regina inevitably get married, I'll be your father in law."

Emma chuckled. "I'll give you that one. Now," she unbuckled her seatbelt, "let's stop stalling and get you inside."

Rumple swallowed nervously before following Emma's action. The two headed out of the car, Rumple locking it over his shoulder, before they headed towards the apartment.

At first, Rumple was tapping his foot nervously in the elevator, but as soon as the doors opened, he took a deep breath and summoned his confidence. He practically sprinted down the corridor towards the apartment door, Emma was struggling to keep up with him at his pace. He unlocked the door, another sign of their relationship was the fact he had a key, and walked into the apartment.

The inhabitants looked up from the sofa where they were watching a film, but Rumple ignored that. He walked straight up to Cora and pulled her from the sofa and into his arms.

"Lennie, look away now," he murmured.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I'm about to kiss your grandmother," Rumple announced.

Cora gasped in shock, but Rumple ignored it before pulling her to him, sealing their lips together.

Lennie looked away as requested and Regina looked on a little hesitantly, but Emma simply watched with a smile. When the two looked like they weren't going to be pulling apart any time soon, Emma coughed quietly and the two sprung apart.

Cora's face was flushed red, both in excitement and embarrassment but Rumple was simply beaming.

"I love you, Cora," he revealed. Reaching up, he cupped her cheek softly, smiling even more when she leant into the touch. "I'm sorry I ran away like a coward earlier, but I don't want to be that man anymore. Belle told me to love again and that's what I'm doing. I mean it, Cora. Despite our pasts, I love you with everything I have, and I just hope that, maybe, you'll accept this old coward who is head over heels in love with you."

Cora smiled before leaning forward and kissing him softly once more. "I love you too," she replied breathlessly.

With strength that Emma didn't know he possessed, Rumple lifted Cora and spun her around in a circle, her laughter echoing around the room. When she was back on the floor, she closed the gap between them once more and kissing him. With a flick of her wrist, the two disappeared in a cloud of burgundy.

Looking up, Emma caught Regina's eye. Both cracked up laughing, unable to help it. Lennie looked up from where she'd been hiding behind a pillow.

"What's funny?" She asked. "What just happened?"

Emma walked over and flopped onto the sofa where Cora had just vacated.

"We'll tell you when you're older," she said before she pecked Regina on the lips.

Knowing when it wasn't appropriate to ask more question, Lennie pressed play on the film that Regina had previously paused.

Emma glanced to her daughter and saw that she was already concentrating on the TV once more before looking back at Regina.

"Can I talk to you about something?" She asked.

"Of course," Regina replied. She smiled encouragingly, allowing Emma to start the topic she wanted to speak about.

"In private," Emma added.

Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but nodded. She turned to Lennie. "We'll just be in our room," she said and Emma's heart soared at the fact she was now referring to her room as theirs. It was pretty much true as Regina spent almost every night there now.

"Okay," Lennie replied distractedly.

Emma rolled her eyes before she headed towards her room with Regina in tow. Once inside, she shut the door and made her way over to her bed.

"What's up?" Regina asked as she took a seat beside her.

"After persuading Rumple that he did love Mom, he wanted to know how I got into the evidence room," Emma begun before realising that Regina had no idea how she'd managed to persuade Rumple to comeback. "Right, quick detour."

She then explained about going to Rumple's house and him not being there before going to the station. When she admitted that she'd confunded Rogers, Regina smirked, but Emma continued before she could comment. She then skipped out how she got into the room before saying what happened to persuade Rumple to come back.

"So Belle told him to move on like Daniel told me?" Regina asked, trying to wrap her head around it. "But in a less creepy way because Rumple didn't have Belle's body frozen like I did with Daniel."

Emma had heard about what Regina had tried to do with her first love. While she didn't agree with it fully, she also understood where she was coming from. A young girl who was so desperate for love would do anything to keep the most powerful love she'd ever experienced.

"Essentially," Emma replied. "I think it worked. God knows what they're getting up to now!"

Regina paled at the thought. "Let's not think about that, please."

Emma chuckled before becoming serious again. "Anyway, he was in the evidence room which was locked by a keypad. I know it would be less effective if I had to knock on the door, so I wished to know the code and then it revealed itself to me so I could get in. I finally asked him about it and he agreed that I must have wish magic if it's working." She then swallowed. "But my main question was would my newfound wish magic work before we brought magic back, because if it did, we could have a situation on our hands."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked slowly, not quite following where Emma was going.

However, just before Emma was about to reveal what was going through her mind, there was a knock on the door.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Emma asked.

"I texted Ivy earlier," Regina revealed. "She never actually told us what happened between her and Henry yesterday, so I thought I'd invite her. What were you going to say?"

Emma shook her head and stood up. "We can continue this later."

Without waiting for a response from Regina, Emma left the room and went to answer the door. Ivy stepped in with a smile, holding a bag.

"I thought I should probably stop stealing all your food, so I brought reinforcements," she announced. She held the bag up slightly higher. "Sabine's beignets from her stall."

The previous conversation with Regina flew out of Emma's head. "Who's Sabine?"

"Tiana's counterpart," Regina replied as she entered the room. "Hello, Ivy."

"Hi," Ivy said softly.

"I'll make some coffee," Emma suggested.

Ten minutes later, the three women were sitting on the sofa with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a beignet in the other. Lennie was also eating the sweet treat but with a glass of milk instead.

"These are yummy!" Lennie commented. "Moms, can I have another?"

Regina raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "Magic word?"

"Please?" Lennie gave her mothers her best puppy dog eyes and pouted her lip.

Emma chuckled. "Sure, take another, but that's it for now."

"Thank you!" She then reached forward and took another treat before settling back on the sofa with her milk and started watching the film.

"Sophia loves Frozen," Ivy commented as she recognised the film. "Olaf is her favourite."

"He's the only one who isn't real," Emma replied. "Elsa and I are friends. She told me."

Ivy raised her eyebrow before shaking her head with a light chuckle. "I forget that these films are all based on real people from our world. I dread to think what my counter part looks like. I refuse to let Soph watch Cinderella."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, perhaps that's not the one for you to watch. I still want to watch Snow White with these two and point out that the scary one is based on Regina, but she won't let me."

Regina scoffed. "I am not having my daughter associate me with that psychopath. I went after Snow for telling my secret that ended in Daniel's death, not because she was prettier than me." She hissed the word as if it was acid on her tongue.

"I'm messing," Emma said, the statement paired with an eyeroll. "Anyway, have you managed to cast the protection charm on your mother?"

Ivy nodded. "Yes. I made a surprise visit before I came over."

"How did she take that?" Emma asked. "These beignets are really good too."

"Sabine will be thrilled," Ivy commented. She chuckled before sobering. "Mother took it quite well actually, but she seemed rather distracted. Apparently Jacinda never made it home last night and she didn't arrive this morning to drop Sophia off." She glanced Emma. "How hard did you hit her?"

Emma raised her hands up in defence, albeit one was covered in powdered sugar which seemed to lessen the effect. "Enough to knock her out for an hour or so but no more than that." Glancing at her hand and seeing the sugar, she dusted her hands over the packed on the table. "I presumed Nick would find her and help her home. She must be with him."

Ivy paused to think about it for a minute. "I just don't know how she's roped him into it. Hansel was on our side. He and Ella didn't know each other in the Enchanted Forest, did they?" She glanced at Regina, hoping she might have an extra insight.

"No, I don't believe so," Regina agreed. "Henry met Hansel when he was travelling in Agrabah so when their paths crossed again in the Enchanted Forest, Henry asked him to join. He clearly doesn't have his memory and Jacinda is probably promising to sleep with him in return."

"I highly doubt it," Emma added darkly. "You saw the way Jacinda spoke about Henry last night. She's absolutely obsessed with him. It's a type of love I've never witnessed. I just don't get how it started."

Regina smiled sadly. "Nor do it."

Ivy frowned. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was because I wanted him," she murmured. "Anything I wanted, she had to have. Henry is no different." She sighed and leant forward. "I miss him so much. Last night was horrible."

Finally, it had come around to what they wanted to discuss the night before. Emma hadn't wanted to bring it up, but the time was here.

Smiling softly, Emma reached out and squeezed Ivy's hand gently. "What happened?"

Ivy drained the rest of her cooling coffee before placing the mug onto the table. She linked her fingers together and rested them on her lap.

"So, once I knew Mother and Jacinda would have arrived at the pub, I headed to Henry's," she began and the story unfolded.

Ivy had arrived at Henry's a bag of nerves. She'd knocked timidly on the door and it was opened to Henry's baffled expression.

"Ivy, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice waving between distrust and curiosity.

"I'd like to talk," she replied. "Can I come in?"

Henry hesitated for a fraction before slowly relenting. "Sure, do you want a drink?"

"Please." She stepped over the threshold and followed her love into the kitchen.

As if on autopilot, Henry opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of cream soda which Ivy adored. He poured the two of them a glass before placing it on the table.

"What's up?" He asked nervously.

Ivy took a sip of her soda, biding her time until she realised she should just rip off the plaster. "I miss you."

"Ivy," Henry sighed. He reached back to itch the top of his neck, his go to move when he was uncomfortable. "You know that ship has sailed."

"No, I don't," Ivy replied. She placed her glass back onto the table. "I mean it, Henry. I miss you and I miss our daughter. She needs her mother."

"She's got–"

"Do not finish that sentence," Ivy warned, her voice low. Her eyes with an anger she'd never felt before. "Jacinda will never be Soph's mother. Over my dead body." She practically growled. "Sophia Enna is my daughter, not hers."

Henry swallowed. "I know," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He reached out and squeezed Ivy's hand and she automatically calmed down. Henry's touch had always that effect on her.

"I'm sorry too," she murmured before slowly turning her hand and linking her fingers with his. The familiar feel of his callouses from wielding swords both in battle and when he was teaching her. "I'm sorry for everything." She wasn't just apologising for their fake pasts and Ivy's misdeed, but for everything that happened with Jacinda that even led them to where they were. Seeing the pity in Henry's eyes was what threw her over the edge and tears started to fall. "You're the love of my life, Henry. You don't deserve what happened."

It was then that Henry seemed to realise that they were now holding hands. He pulled his away as if he'd been burnt. When he went to say something, a cry was heard from down the hallway.

Ivy's motherly instinct kicked in and she ran from the kitchen, following the sound before she reached Sophia's room. She pushed open the already ajar door before crossing the room. Perching on her daughter's bed, she reached out and cupped her cheek softly.

"It's okay, sweetie," she murmured gently. "Mommy's here."

Sophia's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Mommy?"

"Hey, munchkin," Ivy said softly.

"Mommy!" Sophia flew out the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother, now completely wide awake. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too, baby," Ivy said, her voice breaking as she held her close. "I love you." She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Now, let's get you back to sleep."

"But Mommy–"

"You'll see me next week," Ivy assured her. "It's time to sleep, sweetheart." She motioned for Sophia to lay back down before standing slightly to pull the duvet back up. "Now, it's time to dream of beautiful things." She started stroking Sophia's forehead softly. "Waterfalls and mermaids from the south lagoon of the Enchanted Forest. The tiny fairies in the distant caves."

Soon enough, Sophia's eyes fluttered shut and her quiet snores fill the room. Slowly, she waved her hand over her daughter, casting the most powerful protection charm she knew. She watched as Sophia's body glowed an iridescent yellow showing that the spell had worked. Leaning back, she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. After pressing one final kiss to her daughter's forehead, Ivy stood and returned to the kitchen.

Henry was still sitting in the kitchen, flicking through something on his phone. Glancing up, he saw Ivy hesitating. Just as both of them were about to speak, Ivy's phone began to ring.

"That was when you called me," Ivy said, breaking out of her story telling as she took in Regina and Emma's reactions. "So, I never even got to test the waters with him. I didn't get close, but I'm not complaining. I got to see my baby and she still considers me as her mother."

Emma reached out and squeezed her knee. "Of course she does. You are her mother, Ivy, and always will be. We'll make sure nothing happens to her." She sighed and was about to continue when her stomach grumbled. Looking at the clock, she realised it was well past lunch time.

With a wave of her hand, she conjured up a tray of sandwiches, ham for Lennie, egg for herself and cheese for Regina.

"What are you in the mood for?" Emma asked Ivy, not quite sure what she her tastes in sandwiches were.

Ivy chuckled. "I'm easy. I'll have cheese."

Emma smiled. She waved her hand one more and produced another cheese sandwich. The conversation paused while they ate, Lennie scoffing her sandwich in minutes. She picked up her glass to take a sip before realising it was now empty. She flicked her wrist and the glass swapped from empty to full of juice. Grinning, she happily took a sip before settling back to start watching the next film of choice. With a quick glance, Emma realised it was Hercules.

"So what happened with Victoria?" Emma asked once she'd finished her sandwich.

Ivy sighed and placed her empty plate onto the table. "Nothing really. I went over to ask if she had a good night at Roni's and she didn't really say what happened. She turned her back on me to make a coffee, so I cast the spell then. I don't know if she felt it. She didn't comment on it."

Regina shook her head. "No, she doesn't possess any magic. She shouldn't remember it."

A knock was then heard on the door before it was opened to reveal a very chipper looking redhead.

"Honey, I'm hoooooome!" She sang.

"Shut up, Zee," Emma chuckled. "Important conversation going on."

Zelena's laugher stopped abruptly. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Ivy said. "I was just saying what happened last night with Henry and this morning with my mother. Where's Robyn?"

"Robbie?"

Lennie finally brought her eyes away from the screen and looked around the room as if trying to find her cousin. She frowned when she couldn't see her.

Zelena smiled as she plonked herself down beside her sister. Seeing her niece frowning, she opened her arms and invited her to sit on her lap. Lennie grinned and headed over.

"Margot and I opened up Roni's and shortly after opening, a newbie walked through the door," Zelena said. "She was blonde, pale and adorable. Goes by Tilly and Margot is already head over heels for her."

"Alice?" Emma predicted.

"You betcha!" Zelena cheered. "That'll keep Margot occupied and if they can break the curse on each other, Alice will be fine."

Emma's eyes widened. "The loophole!" She gasped as she realised it. "Jacinda said Alice couldn't be awoken before the curse broke, but if Robyn breaks the curse on her then–"

"Then they'll both be awake at the same time," Regina finished. "We just have to make sure they don't break the curse on each other until we're about to break the main curse." She turned to Zelena. "Don't let them get too close too soon."

Zelena nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She glanced around the room. "Where's mother?"

"With Grandpa," Lennie answered.

"Oh?"

Regina and Emma glanced at each other, neither knowing how to explain what was going on. Even Ivy raised her eyebrow. She'd noted the absence of the matriarch but had other things on her mind that had taken priority.

"What's going on?" Zelena asked, her head flicking side to side between her sisters.

Emma looked at Regina and smiled encouragingly, indicating that Regina should be the one to reveal what was going on. They were her parents after all.

"They're together," Regina said eventually, her voice quiet.

"That's what Lennie said?" Zelena said, confused, failing to see what was going on.

"No, Zee, they're together," Regina emphasised. "Like, in a relationship."

Zelena's jaw dropped in shock. Her head snapped to Emma's hoping she was going to laugh it off, proving that what Regina had said was a joke.

When Emma didn't say anything, Zelena just laughed once. "Jesus, I wasn't expecting that. When did they tell you?"

Emma shuffled in her seat and Regina chuckled.

"Emma kind of caught them in the act and it all came out."

"WHAT?"

It was then Emma's turn for story time. She filled both Zelena and Ivy in about what had happened that morning between her and Rumple, and Regina shared what she and Cora had spoken about.

"In the end, Rumple declared his love for her and they disappeared," Emma finished. Her eyes flashing, imploring the redhead not to make any inappropriate jokes about the situation.

However, before she could, a cloud of burgundy appeared and Cora and Rumple stepped out, both looking frantic.

"If it isn't the happy couple!" Zelena cheered with a laugh before she saw the severity in her mother's face. "What's going on?"

Cora swallowed nervously. "Gothel's free!"